Generally, an Electronic Service Guide (ESG) enables a terminal to obtain information relating to what services are available to end users and how the services may be accessed. ESG fragments are independently existing pieces of the ESG. Traditionally, ESG fragments comprise XML documents, but more recently they have encompassed a vast array of items, such as for example, a SDP (Session Description Protocol) description, textual file, or an image. The ESG fragments describe one or several aspects of currently available (or future) service or broadcast programs. Such aspects may include for example: free text description, schedule, geographical availability, price, purchase method, genre, and supplementary information such as preview images or clips. Audio, video and other types of data comprising the ESG fragments may be transmitted through a variety of types of networks according to many different protocols. For example, data can be transmitted through a collection of networks usually referred to as the “Internet” using protocols of the Internet protocol suite, such as Internet Protocol (IP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ESG fragments may also be transmitted by using Asynchronous Layered Coding (ALC) and File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport (FLUTE) protocols. Data is often transmitted through the Internet addressed to a single user. It can, however, be addressed to a group of users, commonly known as multicasting. In the case in which the data is addressed to all users it is called broadcasting.
When interaction services offerings are provided to a subscriber of a broadcast or multicast program, an additional channel or communication link is needed for providing the interactive services. For example, if a subscriber is receiving a broadcast program in which the subscriber can interact with the program by responding to prompts in the program, the subscriber's input is provided to the service providing entity via a channel or communication link that is separate from the channel over which the program is being broadcast. This requires large overhead which results in a burden on the use of resources in the broadcast system.
In addition, subscribers must manually enter input into the system in a non-uniform manner. If the user erroneously inputs the wrong data, the wrong data will be received which may result in the undesired results. For example, the subscriber may send a non-functional answer message which does not produce desired results. Also, the subscriber would still be charged for the erroneous, non-functional answer message. Hence, there is a high risk of errors resulting in unsuccessful service or interaction requests in such a system. Moreover, there is no standardized method of specifying message interaction.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for providing interaction service offerings to subscribers in an efficient, flexible, and cost-effective manner. There is also a need to provide a method and system for providing interaction service offerings to a subscriber in a manner that can minimize or eliminate the frequency of errors in subscriber input.